


Foolish love

by Elysionia



Series: Babel [2]
Category: House of Cards (US TV)
Genre: College, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Summer Vibes, The Sentinel - Freeform, their house stands strong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 08:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18384314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elysionia/pseuds/Elysionia
Summary: He leans down to kiss her rosy lips gently, brushing the stray hair escaped from her braid behind her left ear. ‘’Just once is not enough.’’ Claire beams brushing her nose against his thirsty for more.





	Foolish love

 

_I didn’t know_

_there were white blossoms_

_blooming inside_

_my heart_

 

_but everything you_

_touch_

_dies_

_so am I_

_slowly dying_

_into your arms_

  


.:.:.

  


Time flies by with Claire on his side. Every minute with her feels like a morphine infused dream. When she sits there, naked on the edge of his bed, he can only think of a one thought: this can not be real. It’s like he’s won the lottery. A Seat in a state senate and a wedding waiting for him. Like droplets of light dripping into his well of darkness. Their fortress raising up week by week. The walls protecting their house of cards from the outside world.

 

Summer is beautiful. He feels like the whole World is coloured in bright reds and oranges. Pollen turns into specs of gold, flying above the field against the setting sun. Claire dashes through the young wheat faster and faster. Legs picking up the pace in the sea of green. Her light linen dress swinging behind her long legs. Her laugh echoes from the trees multiplying. He runs after her, trying to catch her. Arriving to the edge of the field, Claire falls down on the soft hay spreading her arms and legs. Face screwed up in laughter. Her laugh rings in his ears like thousand little bells. With her voice his heart reaches the heavens. She looks healthier now with rosy, flushed cheeks. This is exactly how he wants to remember her. Happy with a genuine smile on her face. Laugh lines forming around her beautiful sky blue eyes.

 

‘’Look at the clouds Francis.’’ She sighs dreamily as Frank slumps down next to her exhausted from the sudden dash. Laying down next to her, his heart is daring to leap out of his chest. Hammering with the same rhythm as hers. Frank reaches his hand towards the sky exhaling while trying to grasp the clouds. Light from the setting sun catching on his heavy class ring from the Sentinel. Claire turns to look at his ring glimmering on his right hand.

 

‘’You never talk about the Sentinel. Did you like it there?’’ Claire asks curious about his hidden past. Her high cheekbones catch the light. Light sweat sparkling on her face.

 

‘’The Sentinel did me nothing else than taught me how to follow orders, to shoot a gun and maybe to dance. ‘’ He smiles thinking about his dear friends, the riflemen. How they used to sing while marching down the roads in perfect harmony. Their voices combined, ringing on 

the yards, bouncing off the evergreen trees. How he sometimes used to dance with Tim in secret behind the closed doors where no one could catch them.

 

‘’And what about love?’’ She asks gently biting her lip. Turning her head to the side to see Francis’ face. His chestnut coloured hair curling over his forehead. With her question his smile reaches wide on his cheeks. He continues to smile, treasuring all those memories.

 

‘’We didn’t know what it was. Only that it felt good, right. We would have been expelled if anyone knew. Or even worse.’’ Remembering the confusion about his blooming feelings as a child. The shame lurking deep inside his heart. His conscience telling him it’s wrong to be like this. Utterly disgusting. His father beating him after finding him behind the church with a boy. Long welts from his leather belt forever pressed into his back.

 

‘’Tell me about him.’’ She asks with light voice, looking back to the pink clouds closing her eyes. Focusing solely on Francis’ deep, calming voice.

 

‘’Well we were very close. More than brothers. Tim is very chivalrous. A nice, brave guy. He likes the outdoors. He has light blue eyes with hints of green... His voice is brilliant. A much better singer than I am... ‘’ Frank muses. ‘’We haven’t seen each other since we parted our ways.‘’

 

‘’You should invite him here sometime. I’d love to meet him.’’ Claire knows he isn’t a people person. He plays his role wonderfully but in reality the people he likes are very far and few.

 

‘’I’m not sure he wants to see me. Except couple of letters, we haven’t been in touch after the whole affair. And maybe it’s better this way. He now has a family in Colorado and I need to stay focused on work. We don’t want any distractions.’’

 

He hadn’t thought about Tim in ages. Because it’s not Tim he needs by his side but Claire. Strong and gorgeous Claire. His equal.

 

‘’Have you?’’ Frank turns to look at her after a long silence. His hand now nervously picking at the still green hay under them.

 

‘’Have I what?’’ Claire asks him. Snapping back from the clouds opening her crystal eyes.

 

It almost makes Frank embarrassed to say it out loud. Even though the times are changing it’s still taboo. Desiring the same sex. But he’s marrying her so he can ask her this: ‘’You know, liked girls.’’

 

Claire raises her eyebrows chuckling at him under her breath. He’s never been this careful about anything. Shaking her head lightly she answers smiling. ‘’No I haven’t. I’ve slept with a couple of women. Being attracted to them, yes but otherwise no. Don’t worry about it, I only love you.’’ He takes her hand in his squeezing tightly.

‘’Don’t ever feel ashamed. It’s souls that fall in love, not bodies.’’ She adds looking at him with gentle eyes. He strokes her long fingers idly up and down. Stuck in his thoughts the silence falls over the pair.

 

‘’When do we get the rings?’’ His fingers stop at her still bare ring finger. He looks at their joined hands confessing: ‘’I haven’t even thought about those yet.’’

 

‘’Just a thought. I think we can wait for the wedding. I don’t need an engagement ring. One is enough.’’ He pulls her on top of him from her elbow. Kissing her, lips curled up in a smile.

  


.:.:.

  


The house is grande compared to his old home. Claire’s father had bought them this house as a wedding present despite screaming Elizabeth Hale. There’s still a year to go before the wedding. If you ask from Elizabeth, who’s placed a bet that they will split before that, this is madness. But Claire’s father had insisted on giving the house to them in advance. Frank didn’t want to accept his more than generous gift but Claire is like her mother, bending him over in accepting the house as theirs. She’s somewhat right and they do need a place to live in. He could live anywhere with Claire by his side, but he feels like Claire doesn’t deserve any more misery than having to move to Gaffney. One can’t even begin to compare it to the luxury of Highland Park and the ranch.  

 

Soon Frank will move back here. The state senate seat waiting for him. He’s one of the youngest to be ever chosen as a state legislator. Mamma is so proud of him. Her little boy has come so far from the peach farm. While visiting he told mamma about his amazing Claire, but they have yet to see each other. They plan on visiting her this Christmas. And he knows that mamma can’t be more proud of him for finding such a charming partner. They all will get along nicely.

  


.:.:.

  


They lean against the foundations of their new house in the burning afternoon sun. Having finally carried all the boxes inside. Resting there for a while catching their breath, Claire leans her head against the wall, wishing for heavy rain. Next to her Frank starts to braid down her long hair. Weaving the golden strands carefully into a tight braid. Her hair now reaches down her mid back. Slowly creeping downwards. He ties the end of her hair carefully, picking a daisy between the blades of grass, pushing the flower between the strands hair.

 

Watching from there the front yard of their new house looks bare. Only the greenest of grass covering the ground. Later Frank comes back from the town with some twig in his arms. Together they dig a hole for the sapling. Well Frank digs and Claire supervises, laughing at the streaks of dirt staining his forehead. Claire carries pints of water to the yard. They plant the tiny oak tree in front of their house. Leaving enough space for it to grow. So every morning they can watch the leaves inch higher towards the sky reaching for the sun.

 

In the evenings she dances on the grass wet with the evening dew. Dancing out of passion, freely like she hasn’t danced in years. She can feel the cooling air embracing her outstretched arms. There’s no music except the slight breeze in their ears. He can feel the butterflies flying around in his stomach. She’s breathtaking. He joins her putting his glass down. Taking her hand he twirls her on the front yard of their own house. Theirs. Grass tickles against their bare feet. Swaying gently embracing each other at the edge of dusk. He leans down to kiss her rosy lips gently, brushing the stray hair escaped from her braid behind her left ear.

 

‘’Just once is not enough.’’ Claire beams brushing her nose against his thirsty for more. He crushes his lips against hers kissing her deeply. Holding her tight against him. Her lips taste like the sweetest of peaches. She caresses his back, the nape of his neck. Unwilling to let him go of her arms.

 

He sweeps her up, carrying her inside. With a tug of his fingers, her hair falls free from the long braid. He lays her gently down on their mattress on the floor. Her hair flies under her, creating a halo. His angel, fallen down from the heavens. Golden curls reminding him of the braid he wove. Imprinted into her hair. She whispers his name into the darkness and he is gone.

  


.:.:.

  


They walk slowly away from the house touring the neighbourhood one last time. She soon has to leave back to Cambridge. In silence they stop at the edge of the field they dashed across months ago. Now watching the golden wheat sway with the breeze. Holding their breaths. The ripe wheat bends gracefully flowing with the wind. Like she does, under his fingers.

 

He holds her close to him. Claire fits perfectly under his arm without her high heels. He whispers sweet nothings into her silken hair. Like how they’ll change everything. How they’ll triumph and rule together. State senate being the first stop, eyes on Washington. How everyone will fall at their feet trembling. But right now as she watches the wheat flow, she’s only certain of a one thing. This will last.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of the second part - Babel
> 
> I want to thank the person who wrote the series - Francis Dances. I got my inspiration from them. It felt really canon to me.


End file.
